‘Magic Mike 2′ Will Drop Trou in 2015, Won’t Be Some Dark Drama

After getting the delightful news that 'Magic Mike 2,' starring, co-written and co-produced by Channing Tatum, will be titled 'Magic Mike XXL,' Tatum lovers everywhere will no doubt release a collective sigh to hear that the film is coming sooner than we think! Warner Bros. dated 'Magic Mike 2' for release in 2015, and what's even better, Tatum says that nearly the entire cast is expected to return.

Grab hold of your dollar bills, ladies, 'cause the gents will be back on July 3, 2015. Tatum, who is not only reprising his suave title role, is deep in the writing stages with Reid Carolin. Speaking with MTV, the actor said, "I think everyone’s gonna be back, I think. Obviously no one’s deals are done which is always kind of scary.”

While formal plot details are unavailable at this time, Tatum said of the film:

This one will be a road trip movie. Without giving a lot away, we don’t wanna make it a really serious, slice-of-life movie. We want to have reality in it, but we don’t want to make it some dark drama. There was some darkness in the last one that I think surprised people and shocked people. This one, we want there to be a lot of conflict and a lot of struggle, but we also want there to be a shit-ton of fun. A shit-ton of just ridiculous stuff that you would never see in a movie.

Though Steven Soderbergh will not be returning to direct 'Magic Mike 2,' his longtime first assistant director Greg Jacobs will be filling in, so it's in pretty good hands. The first film starred the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer and Adam Rodriguez, and told the tale, largely inspired by Tatum's early life as a male stripper, of how Magic Mike inducted a newbie into the stripping circuit. It'll be interesting to see which stars agree to show their stuff one more time, which will no doubt impact the story. You can be sure we'll be keeping our eyes open for any (*cough*) action on that front.

And while we wait for the 2015 release date, there's always Manganiello's male stripping documentary, 'La Bare,' to keep you warm at night. Here's that trailer: